Wikitree is an online family tree. Using Wikitree for DNA research can help you find DNA matches and trace their connection to you through common ancestors.
For a bit of background, you can read my article about why Wikitree is a useful tool in family history research.
Wikitree is an online collaborative family tree. Members do not have their own trees. Instead, they add their research to the ‘one tree’. The tree is formed by creating a profile for each person, then linking them to their parents, siblings, spouses and children.
Anyone can access the tree and use the information for free. If you register for an account (also free), then you can amend the tree.
Benefits of using Wikitree for DNA research
Wikitree has over 34 million people in the family tree. This means there are a lot of family connections that could help you identify how you are related to your DNA matches.
Finding DNA matches and common ancestors
Wikitree members who have had their DNA tested can add a notice to their own profile which states the DNA tests they have taken. Members can also add their test number from GEDmatch to their profile. You can use this to compare your own results to theirs (if you have uploaded to GEDmatch).
Depending on the type of test taken, Wikitree then connects that DNA test information to the profiles of the ancestors of the test taker in the tree.
For example, for an autosomal test, blood relatives out to eight degrees are marked. That’s up to sixth great grandparents and out to third cousins. Wikitree explains the process in this article, Help:DNA test connections.
If you open the profile of one of your ancestors and you see the names of DNA test takers under the heading ‘DNA Connections’ then you know that you have common ancestors. You can then trace your ancestral line back until you find those common ancestors.
For example, when I open the profile of my maternal grandmother, Ivy, I can see two people listed under DNA Connections. I then open the profile of her mother, Ida, and I still see them there. If I then open the profile of Ida’s mother, Christina, one of the names is still there but the other is not. That tells me that one is related to me on Ida’s maternal line and the other on her paternal line.
Finding DNA evidence to confirm relationships
Wikitree members can mark relationships as confirmed by DNA. This means that they have combined documentary evidence and DNA evidence to reach a conclusion about the biological relationship between two people.
Even if you have not been able to confirm that someone was the biological parent of another person, one of your DNA matches may have done so. You can use that information in your own research.
It’s also good to mark those that you have confirmed, as that helps others with their research.
Wikitree explains the confirmation process in this article, ‘Confirmed with DNA’.
There are quite strict protocols for confirming relationships on Wikitree, which is very reassuring.
The Wikitree guidelines also include formats for DNA citations. I have adopted the same format in my own research. The Wikitree article on DNA Confirmation provides the citation format. It also provides very useful guidance on which relationships can be marked as confirmed. I found that particularly helpful and will be using it when I mark people confirmed in my family trees. For example, the article states that if your DNA match is a second cousin, you can confirm relationships back to great grandparents.
More information
The full list of articles on the Wikitree website about using Wikitree for DNA.
For more of my articles and information about using DNA in family history, head to my DNA in family history page. Watch that page for upcoming free downloads.
For more of my articles on documenting your family history, go to the Document page.
Post last updated 15 June 2024
